England can book their place at the 2027 Women's World Cup on Friday if they avoid defeat against Spain in Mallorca, a result that would also leave the world champions heading for the play-offs. It is a simple equation with a huge prize: stay unbeaten and England qualify more than a year early.
That is why Lucy Bronze has been talking about a rivalry that has already produced some of England's biggest nights. Spain beat them in the 2023 Women's World Cup final, but England have won three of the four meetings since then, including both of the last two Euros. Bronze said, "It's a rivalry that's made us both stronger," and the numbers back up the intensity — this will be the seventh time the sides have met in less than four years.
England arrive in Mallorca top of Group A3 after four wins from four, having conceded only one goal. Avoiding defeat would give them an unassailable lead in the group and make their place at the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil secure with one match still to play. Their final group game comes against Ukraine at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on June 9, but Friday is the one that can settle everything early.
The challenge is obvious. Spain are the world champions and the No 1 team in the world, and England know what that looks like on the pitch. When the teams met in Barcelona this time last year, England were second best, and Claudia Pina scored twice off the bench as Spain took control. That is the friction in this contest: England are unbeaten in the group, but they are asking to stand up to the best-ranked side in the game with a World Cup place on the line.
There is also recent evidence that the gap is not fixed. England beat Spain in April without Leah Williamson, and Wiegman said she knows the Spanish players and what they do so well. Bronze has framed that familiarity as part of the force of the rivalry itself. On a hot day in Mallorca, with both sides so used to each other and so much at stake, the margin for error is tiny. If England keep their run going, the qualification race is over and Spain are sent into another route.
